Chelsea midfielder Cesc Fabregas is pleased he has proved Antonio Conte wrong and indicated he is an irreplaceable part of the Stamford Bridge outfit.

The 30-year-old midfielder – who has played 18 times as of now this season compared to just the four appearances he had at a comparative stage last term – believes this season may yield him one of a handful couple of winners medals he is lacking: the Champions League.

Fabregas, who was an integral part of the Spanish side that won the successive European Championships in 2008 and 2012, and also the 2010 World Cup, said he could have quite recently surrendered when Conte didn’t at first select him last season.

“I wasn’t playing, I wasn’t really part of his (Conte’s) initial plans and at that point, you can do two things,” said Fabregas, speaking on the eve of Chelsea’s final Champions League group match with Atletico Madrid.

“You can just give up and accept you are not going to be part of the team or the club in the future.

“The other is what I did, put your head down and be humble, show him that he’s wrong.

“My relationship with the manager (now) is fantastic.

“He trusts me. He knows exactly what I can give to the team.”

He was also a part of Arsenal side that lost to Barcelona in the 2006 Champions League final in Paris, will be 32 when his present contract is up in 2019 and Chelsea policy is to just offer one-year contracts extension to players age 30 and over.